We were all invited to attend the Social Innovation International Conference in Beijing on 16th and 17th October 2006 hosted by The British Council, the China Centre for Comparative Politics and Economics (CCCPE) and the Young Foundation together with our Chinese colleague, Fan Li  (Global Links Initiative Executive Director Asia Pacific and America). 

The conference was a great opportunity to hear a wide range of speakers from China and the UK as well as from Brazil, Chile, Denmark, India and South Africa. The speakers and participants were drawn from local government, academia, think tanks, the media, business, foundations and NGOs. The programme was very full with formal speeches, group discussions and feedback sessions as well as informal networking at every opportunity during breaks and mealtimes.

We are most grateful to the British Council for enabling us to attend this conference and for the opportunity to meet and network with others engaged in helping to spread social innovation practice around the world. We have made and shared some useful contacts and hope to be able to report soon on some practical action that may result from networking at the conference.

On the final evening of the conference, Fan took us to meet one of our GLI Networkers, a young man named Zhao Yi who has just graduated and is working as the Assistant Manager in charge of the organic products for the largest Tea House in Beijing. Zhao Yi's own inspiring story has been on our website for a while but is well worth a reread. See 'Courage +Persistance = Success' link.

We took the opportunity of this visit to China for the conference to spend a few more days in Beijing and also to go for two days to Shanghai to meet our Global Links Initiative Networkers, local NGOs and contacts. Fan drew up an impressive programme of visits and meetings which gave us a fantastic introduction to grass roots community activity in these two huge, complex and fast growing cities.

On Wednesday 18 October we meet local NGOs and GLI Networkers at the Shining Stone Office hosted by Ms Song Qinghua. We were delighted to see Ms Song again following her visit to the UK in December 2005 (see link for her report of this visit). We had a great turn out and the meeting room was packed with interested and enthusiastic people eager to ask questions about social enterprise and social entrepreneurs.

After the seminar we were shown around the Shining Stone offices and met members of staff.

In the afternoon we were taken to visit Xiezuozhe, a migrant worker support group where we were told of the work being done and shown around the small, neat centre with its peaceful courtyard sheltered by a pretty tree. Here we saw some of the beautiful craft work on sale and met some of those being supported by this project which is mainly funded by overseas foundations.

On Thursday 19 October we attended the round table meeting newly set up with the help of Global Links Initiative. The Working Group on Social Entrepreneurs and Community Regeneration was hosted by Mr. Ma Zhong Liang, Beijing Social Science Academy and Ms. Liu Baozheng,  in a bright and cheerful community centre in Jiu Xian Qiao decked out with colourful plants, banners and artwork. It was all very welcoming and we were greeted as honoured guests and friends.

We walked to the meeting room through an open-air gym which was in full use by the local population - doing their morning exercises - weight lifting, tai chi and ping-pong - in the warm autumn sunshine.

The group again were enthusiastic listeners and questioners deeply probing the concept of social enterprise. We were then taken on a tour of the local community meeting the Red Hat volunteers and being shown the calligraphy work,

the library, the paper-cutting group and an open-air art and craft market.

We were taken into one of the housing estates, met the residents' support worker

and walked in the local park which again was full of activity mainly from groups of older people - this time singing, dancing, more tai chi, and an English class (all Beijingese  are being encouraged by the government to learn 300 phases in English for the Beijing Olympics in 2008). We were encouraged to join in the activities with many smiles, warm handshakes, laughter and clapping.

On Friday 20 October we flew to Shanghai and in the afternoon attended another seminar/roundtable meeting with GLI networkers and local NGOs hosted by Mr Mr. Wu Jianrong at the huge and impressively smart YMCA building. Again, Mr Wu was part of the GLI Exchange visit programme to the UK in December 2005 and it was great to see him again. This was another inspiring group with such enthusiasm and commitment shown by the young people towards wanting to help with the pressing social issues facing China and common to us in the UK, too.

On Saturday 21 Oct we visited Ruoshan Community Centre in Pudong district - a sheltered housing project for older people run by the YMCA and incorporating a small school for young children on the same site.

We were shown all round the facilities, met the residents, were entertained by one blind lady who sang us a wonderful song, were invited to join in the dancing group - an offer Jim could not refuse! - and called in on a group of teenagers using one of the rooms for extra English classes.

We then moved on to visit a group planning job creation opportunities for 45 to 55 year olds wanting to return to work. 12 local groups have been set up by local government to co-ordinate this work and we had a lively discussion on how the social enterprise model might be able to offer a means of sustainable funding for such an initiative.

On Sunday 22 October we returned from Shanghai to Beijing and then straight on to the UK arriving home the same day very tired but excited and stimulated by all we had seen and done and full of memories of the happy faces and warm welcomes we had received wherever we went. 

Reflecting on this amazing trip, we were especially excited by the very warm and interested reception given to Tony Crocker from Track 2000. (To read the Track 2000 story click on the link opposite.) Track 2000 is an award-winning environmental recycling and employment training social enterprise and we are excited by the opportunities that there may be for replicating the Track 2000 model in local communities in China. The concept of social enterprise is new to many of the people we met and has captured the imagination of many of the NGOs we have seen on this visit and on previous exchanges. The challenge will be to build on this interest and to find ways in which we may be able to cooperate with local NGOs and local government to develop a social enterprise model appropriate to meet the needs of local communities in China by making creative and 'social entrepreneurial' use of local resources, skills and talents. 

Our grateful thanks to all the projects we visited for their hospitality and for their time in sharing their stories with us. And very special thanks to our colleague, Fan Li, for organising such a fantastic trip for us all and for looking after us so well - thank you Fan!

Since our return an article which appeared in Beijing Today has also been quoted by Beijing Youth Daily Net -  in PDF format - and a  the China Development Brief also wrote a report about our seminar with NGOs in Beijing  - see links opposite.